WOULD YOU LIKE TO FEEL TWENTY-ELEVEN?

Several years ago, while speaking in Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to hear the Righteous Brothers. It was an unforgettable experience. Not only did they bring the house down with one standing ovation after another. They brought back memory after memory.

Most were surprised to learn that they sang together for over 40 years, and that their song “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” has been played the most of any song in radio history. Not bad for a couple of “old guys.”

The “old guys,” had an interesting way of stating their age. They said they were “fifty-eleven.” However, anyone who heard them would say they could just as easily have been “twenty-eleven.” They were truly an inspiration to anyone past middle age. And for me, at “forty-fifteen,” they are cause for rethinking the matter of what keeps a person youthful.

It would seem, as illustrated with the Righteous Brothers, part of youthfulness has to do with activity that makes you feel young. This doesn’t mean doing something that is dangerous or unhealthy. But, it does mean that we should not be unnecessarily restricted by age. There was a time when putting on the protective catcher’s gear and catching my son’s 90 mph fastball made me feel young. For you it might be another activity. Yet, neither of us should allow artificial age requirements to deprive us of youthful enjoyments.

Something else that makes me feel like “twenty-eleven” is taking a greater interest in my health. This involves two decisions.

The first of these decisions is one that Sherry and I reached together. We decided to get serious about losing weight. Though neither of us is obese, we are not where we would like to be. This is in spite of the fact that we have dieted religiously. In other words, we have quit eating in church. We’ve also tried the 30-day diet. Yet, all we lost was a month. Now we are dedicated to eating healthy, and it has already affected how we feel about ourselves. Such might help you in the same way.

The second decision was reached several yeas ago after a speaking engagement. It was the Sunday after the death of St. Louis pitcher Darryl Kile, and I was seated in a coffee shop in the St. Louis airport. As I choked up while reading the newspaper stories of the local hero, I decided that if that could happen to a 33-year old who had recently had a physical exam it could certainly happen to a 53-year old who had never had a thorough physical. And, for some reason, when I had the examination and got a clean bill of health, I felt younger. It could possibly work the same way for you.

Someone has said that age is mind over matter - if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. Problem is, often we do mind and it does matter. However, these are a few things we can do to keep age from mattering. They have a positive influence on the mind.

BARBER-OSOPHY: Worry less about being young and more about being youthful.

Copyright 2004, Sumerlin Enterprises.

Permission is granted for you to copy this article for distribution as long as the above copyright and contact information is included. Please reference or include a link to www.barber-osophy.com.